Hiring former government officials or retired military personnel with established relationships seems like a shortcut for companies looking to accelerate organic growth. After all, isn’t BD’s success all about customer relationships?
Maybe not!
While relationships are crucial, hiring solely to access a potential network may not deliver the expected results.
For example, Chris, a recently retired colonel, touted the strength of his network during the interview process, and the hiring manager envisioned him helping to quickly grow their business in the Army.
However, six months later, Chris quit after struggling to turn connections into successful relationships. Gathering the competitive intelligence needed to win required a different mindset and skill set than his previous experience.
We’ve seen many promising new and veteran employees fail because of three common but easily avoidable mistakes:
Mistake #1: Expecting them to “hit the ground running”
Leaders often overestimate the strength of a new employee’s network, quality of relationships, and willingness to interact with customers, while underestimating the adjustment period and training required to achieve success. Business development requires a different skill set and mindset than most veterans initially bring.
And just starting out from the start doesn’t justify the fear that many veterans have of being seen as “the best salesperson” by their former colleagues, who are now potential clients. Overcoming this requires training and support, not just a pep talk like “you’ve got it all under control.”
In your previous roles, mission success was built on a foundation of planning, preparation, and training. Offering a similar structure will not only bolster your confidence, but also your ability to leverage the full value of your network.
Mistake #2: The limited lifespan of GovCon networks
Agencies are characterized by frequent staff changes, which means that even a solid network has a limited lifespan of 2-3 years. So what happens?
Existing relationships are a starting point, but the ability to continually grow a network is critical to long-term success. Elite BD professionals never exhaust their network because they prioritize its growth.
Rather than focusing on the size of your network, it’s more important to focus on your social skills and your ability to continue growing your network.
Mistake #3: Assuming they already have the skills needed for BD success
Many business leaders mistakenly believe that because their new employees will call their “friends,” they don’t need to develop interpersonal skills. This assumption presupposes that they have good relationship quality and the skills to transform personal connections into successful relationships.
Even well-connected experts benefit from customer interaction, advanced communication skills, and emotional intelligence training. Personal connections make it potentially easier to schedule a meeting, but this means little if they can’t use that time effectively to qualify, conduct deep discovery, or shape an opportunity.
The worst thing is realizing, during a missed debrief, that the outcome could have been different had they understood the value of a piece of intelligence that was shared but not communicated to the capture team.
An effective business strategy requires more than just chatting with old colleagues. It’s the ability to gather game-changing information and find true discriminators by asking the right questions to the right stakeholders at the right time.
Without training, new employees will struggle. Investing in a program like BD Essentials can bridge the gap with best practices for engaging with customers, strengthening relationships, and reducing call anxiety.
The bottom line:
As the Govcon market becomes more competitive and contract values rise, the cost of failed new hires has increased substantially. Let’s stop setting our veterans up for failure by overestimating the quality of their network and their ability to leverage their contacts without the training they need for success.
If you’re unsure whether a potential new employee is ready, ask them to complete the free Hi-Q assessment. This assessment measures the use of 20 engagement best practices and provides recommendations for further development.
You can empower your new veteran employees to thrive in their new role and maximize the value of their networks by equipping them with the specialized skills needed for success in BD.
With over 20 years in the government market, Nic Coppings, Senior Partner at Hi-Q Grouphas been instrumental in helping clients win billions (and counting) in deals by improving their customer relationships and the quality of their intelligence. Connect with Nic on LinkedIn to learn more about how to earn more with winning relationships.
